Inspirational Weekly Parsha Insights and anecdotes of Rabbi Schwartz and his never dull family as they acclimate and absorb into their new home in Karmiel Israel, having made Aliyah- August 2010

Karmiel

Our view of the Galile

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Addicts, the Jets and the Jews- Shemos 2013

Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz"Your friend in Karmiel"

January 3rd 2013 -Volume 3, Issue
13 –22nd of Tevet 5772

Parshas Shemos

Addicts, the Jets and the Jews

Claire is a New York
Jets fan. Not a very satisfying and fulfilling pastime, I'm told. In fact, as she was completing her recovery program for
alcohol and drug addiction (a much more satisfying and enjoyable pastime? J ) at Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski's world renowned Gateways clinic
she describes her obsession as being absolutely rabid.

"I have never
missed a game" she said. "The Jets are my team. Typically when
I would watch a game I would be a nervous wreck. Anxious, pacing, hitting the
fridge for sweets to settle my nerves. Under most normal circumstances that's
the way I would spend my Monday evenings. One Monday though it was different. I
remember I had to be away for the weekend and I asked a friend to record the
game for me on her VCR. When I returned she gave me the tape and said 'By the
way the Jets won.'

"As I began
watching the game I was horrified by the Jets terrible performance. At half
time they were 20 points behind. Yet this time though I didn't have any of the
usual anxiety that would have normally climbing the walls. I was perfectly
calm, because I knew the outcome; they were going to win.

"When I entered
this recovery program she
concluded I made a conscious decision to turn my life over to the will of
God. I know that eventually it will turn out all right, because God is in
charge of my life. Sometimes I am 20 points behind at halftime, but I don't
panic. I know that I am ultimately going to win."

This week we begin the
second book of The Torah the book of Shemos/ Exodus. It is one Parsha, yet it
spans the 210 years of Egyptian exile and persecution. 210 years!! That's only
a little less than the entire history of the USA . It's the Holocaust for 210
years rather than just the 6. We are told the of the horrors of Egypt,
the infanticide, the back breaking labor, the psychological tortures of
meaningless work and of cities that would crumble. And each Pessach we recount and
are even meant to relive at least symbolically, in the eating of our bitter
herbs, our painful and tormented beginnings.

The Egypt experience,
our 'Roots' so to speak, though is meant to be a visceral point of our everyday
life as well. Every day in the Shema we are obligated to mention Egypt. Each
Shabbat and holiday we talk about our Exodus as we make Kiddush. It is even
contained in those black phylacteries boxes we strap on our hands and head in
the morning. I believe the reason why we do this is not merely as a history lesson
about our heritage. Rather within its knowledge is the secret of our survival and
the power by which we can triumph when faced with seemingly insurmountable
challenges and inexplicable times of adversity.

How did we survive Egypt?
How was this young fledgling nation able to remain a people after so long? To
believe still that redemption was possible and that hope was to be found. Moshe
our great leader turned to God and asked precisely this question.

"Vi’Hen Lo Ya’aminu
Li Vi'lo Yishme'oo B'Koli - And they will not believe me and they will not
listen to my voice.

One can almost hear
Moshe our Shepherd asking "After all the suffering, pain, and hidden-ness
of Your hand, how can they be expected to believe?"

Yet Hashem knew that we
would believe. That we wouldn't lose faith. That we could be redeemed. Because
He had already told Moshe those secret words that would remind them what they
has always known; that our people would be saved, that Hashem our loving Father
is and will always be there with us.The Medrash tells us that Yosef in his final
command to the his brothers at the end of Genesis says

I am dying and
Hashem will surely remember you and bring you out of this land to
the land that he swore to Avraham Yitzchok and Yackov.

The Medrash suggests
that those words Pakod Yifkod were the signal that the redemption would arrive{
interesting aside- the gematriah- numerological value- of Pakod is 190 the
amount of years early of the prophesized 400 year enslavement they were in fact
redeemed.}

Hashem answered Moshe (previously) …

Go gather the elders and
say to them "Hashem the God of your Forefathers... appeared to me saying… Pakod
Pakadati- I have surely remembered you, and what is done to you in Egypt "

And what do you know?
Sure Enough the Torah continues and tells us that when Moshe comes to the sages
tells them and shows them the miracles proving his legitimacy

And the nation believed
and the listened because/that Hashem had remembered the Children of
Israel
and because/that He saw their affliction.

Was it merely a secret
code? Was that all it took to restore them to their faith? The answer is that
they had never lost their faith. That no matter how horrible and terrible Egypt
was, the Jewish people always knew that at the end of the game the Jets. I mean
the Jews J.were going to win. That we were remembered.
That our affliction was seen. There is no memory or forgetfulness before God-
rather all is foreseen all is for our good. The script and score has been
written already by our Father, who although for a long time may seem like he is
putting us 20 points behind before halftime, ultimately is only trying to
create and make us into the best we could ever become.

Chasidic writings
suggest that the word for Egypt- Mitzrayim-comes for the root word Tzar
or narrow, limited, and constrained. We each will go through in our lives our
own personal Galus Mitzrayim and Yetzias Mitzrayim- our own
personal exile and exodus from Egypt.
There will be times when we are faced with challenges and moments when it is
hard to see past. Yet the power and secret that we share is that we need not
get anxious. Pakod Yifkod. We will win in the end. The video is
pre-recorded and the Screenwriter only can create happy and good endings
ultimately for us his loving children. If we are like Claire and are able to
see and recognize this than not only will the Jets have won but we will have
won as well.

May
this Shabbos bring you blessings of peace and sanctity,

Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz

This week’s Insights and
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Kfar Kedem
– The
Galile was the region of Israel where the Jews lived for the majority of
history. From after the time of the destruction of the 2nd Temple
until the late 1800's Jews were not permitted or felt safe and comfortable
living in Jerusalem and the center of Israel (although there was always a
jewish presence there) and the sanhedrin moved to the North where Jewish life
remained. The Mishna was written here, the Jerusalem Talmud as well as the many
of the sages in the middle ages found their home in the North of Israel. Kfar
Kedem located right outside of the ancient Mishna city of Tzippori in the
modern village of Hoshaya is a fantastic place to experience hands-on life in
the times of the mishna. Their attractions include donkey riding, cheese and
pita baking as well as learning about the process of planting and agriculture in that period. This is a
great place for the whole family and people of all ages and background and they
do a phenomenal job of explaining the concepts and significance of the Oral
tradition that was first written down in the Galile and the way of life (in period
costumes with great pictures) of our ancestors in Israel.

******************************

RABBI SCHWARTZ QUOTES
OF THE WEEK

**********************

Answer

Answer is C- Fig. or at least that's what
somebody told me it is… This is another case where the Ministry of tourism- I
think is playing with me or not sure of what the answer is. I answered Pine
because I know we spoke alot about the Pine tree shedding its needles and the
damage it causes to the ground as it is highly flammable and nothing grows
underneath it. Incidentally it is one of the core reasons behind the Carmel
fire as the pine trees that were planted by the JNF which are not indigenous to
Israel can't handle the heat and are now even being de-forested. I also didn't
know what dioecious meant ( I took the class in Hebrew and we never had that
word-and my yeshiva education forgot to mention it as well remarkably enough J).My research
has shown though that it means it has both and male and female reproductive
capability-which the Pine tree has-although this concept has nothing to do with
shedding it's leaves-so I'm not sure why they connected the two. The pine tree
actually does have male and female on the same tree. But it does not have
leaves so that’s why someone told me fig was the right answer. Which obviously
sheds its leaves as well although I'm not sure if it is dioecious. Silly
question in my humble opinion I'm not even sure as well if they realize the
answer. The Medrash tells us the fig tree though is compared Torah- Why was the Torah compared to a fig? Because most trees
… are gathered at once and the fig is gathered little by little, so also the
Torah, … as it is not learned in one year and not in two years” Numbers Rabbah
12: 9

1 comment:

Rabbi, something that Claire did not mention that is equally true of recovery from addictions and Torah observance: you have to be willing to do anything to reach your goal(recovery or torah observance). My personal addition is, "Hashem still runs the world" (in spite of our wants, desires, politics). Yep, G-d runs the world...(check the rise in Lake Kinneret, snow, hail, rain, BIG thunder)Oh Aharon just found my Hebrew birthday: 20th of Tevet. This parsha! Shabbat Shalom

About Me

Hi, thanks for popping in. I am a recent Oleh. My wife Aliza and children Shani, Yonah, Rivkah, Elka and Tully recently moved to Karmiel Israel from Seattle Washington where we used to have a little Shul in our home the West Seattle TLC (Torah Learning Center). I have been involved in Jewish educational outreach for over 15 years. Originally a Detroiter, we have been lucky enough to live in Midwood New York, Des Moines Iowa, Norfolk Virginia and Seattle. I'm just a down to earth guy who would rather talk in the front of the shul than the back so i became a Rabbi where that becomes your job. I love Jews,Stories, Israel, and chulent. Recently we opened up the Young Israel of Karmiel and look forward to greeting the many North American and Anglo Olim who will join us here in the beautiful Galil.
Please comment away I thrive on your input. Thanks!

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